Implementation Of Gis Enabled Asset Management Program For Small Public Works Agencies

The combination of increasing system demands, reduction in funding and the need for accountability to the public have forced public works agencies across the country to give serious thought to the concept of asset management. The asset management program is an organized repository of the inventoried data and a tool to value the assets based on their existing condition. The program also aids in Governmental Accounting Standards Board statement 34 (GASB 34) compliance through the modified approach. The research tasks included creation of condition assessment manual, inventory of assets, asset evaluation and integration with Geographic Information System (GIS). The program was created in Microsoft Excel, a commonly used spreadsheet platform, to encourage personnel at various levels of the department to use the program. GIS enhances the program through better data integration, query, analysis and display. The research provides an excellent opportunity for the agencies to make their decision making process more robust. The program was successfully implemented in Cole County Public Works Department, Missouri.